Christmas Cookie Reboot
In years past, my family spent most December weekends making and decorating cookies. It was a tradition that became “sweeter” as the kids got older. They looked forward to decorating sugar cookies together while listening to Christmas music. Of course, they also enjoyed eating their creations!
Sugar cookie creations of years gone by.
This year, we made some big changes in how we eat due to food sensitivities, digestive issues, and other concerns. When cookie season arrived, I struggled to figure out how to keep our tradition, but in a gluten-free, dairy-free, lower-sugar kind of way. The very thought was daunting to say the least!
Cutting out dairy and gluten and drastically lowering our sugar consumption has made a huge difference in our overall well-being. Amazing results of these changes include better sleep, clear skin, overall digestive system improvement, and better mood regulation. It has been worth it for everyone in our family.
This doesn’t mean we NEVER eat sugar, gluten, and dairy. It just means we keep it for special occasions and are mindful of how much we eat.
We know there will be cookies and treats galore at every Christmas celebration we attend, so we will all get our fill. This also means we don’t feel the need to keep our house overstocked with sugar. In the past, we regularly ate our Christmas cookies throughout the winter and still had extras stashed in the freezer until St. Patrick’s Day. That’s a bit excessive!
My hope is that our new strategy will allow us to enjoy our holiday gatherings without dealing with skin rashes, emotional rollercoaster outbursts, illnesses, and a host of digestive issues. Because nothing puts a damper on the holiday spirit like cranky family members with tummy aches.
So this year, we’ve tried some new recipes! They’ve been a bit hit, so I wanted to share them with you!
Coconut Truffles
Coconut Truffles
These truffles are amazing! They are easy to make, only require a few ingredients, and are vegan, paleo, dairy-free, gluten-free, and refined sugar free. Did I mention they’re delicious?
You get to control the amount of sugar and chocolate with these. Do you want a sweeter coconut mixture? Add a bit more maple syrup! Do you want more chocolate in your life? Roll the whole truffle in that melted goodness instead of just dipping and drizzling. Try a few of each like we did!
Coconut Balls
3 cups unsweetened coconut shreds or flakes
1/2 cup coconut oil, solid or melted
4 tablespoons pure maple syrup
Chocolate Dip and Drizzle
3/4 cup vegan chocolate chips - we like the Enjoy Life brand
1 teaspoon coconut oil
Instructions
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or wax paper. Set aside for later.
Make the coconut balls: Add coconut, coconut oil and maple syrup to a blender or food processor. Blend until you get a wet and sticky mixture, with smaller, but still noticeable coconut pieces.
Using a small cookie scoop or spoon, scoop very tightly-packed balls of coconut mixture onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing them evenly apart. If needed, gently press and shape loose bits of mixture into a firm ball. Repeat until no mixture remains.
Freeze for 15-20 minutes. About 5 minutes before the balls are done freezing, it’s time to prepare the chocolate dip layer.
Make the Chocolate Dip Layer: Use the double boiler method on the stove top. Add the Chocolate Dip Layer ingredients to your pan. Heat gently, stirring occasionally until melted and smooth.
Remove coconut balls from the freezer. Dip the bottom of one ball into the bowl of melted chocolate, using the side of the bowl to scrape off excess. Lay back onto the baking sheet. Repeat until all coconut balls have been coated. (If you’d prefer more chocolate on the truffles and want to skip the chocolate drizzle step, you can roll each coconut ball in chocolate instead of just dipping the bottom.)
Use remaining melted chocolate mixture for drizzling over the top of the truffles. Using a rubber spatula, scrape melted chocolate into a zip bag, then trim a tiny corner off. Holding the bag over a coconut ball, pipe the chocolate in a zigzag pattern. Repeat for all balls.
Place baking sheet into the freezer for 10-15 minutes. Thaw for 10-15 minutes before serving. Enjoy! Storing instructions below.
NOTES
– Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 week. Or, store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
– If freezing, store in an airtight, freezer-friendly container for up to 1 month. Allow to thaw for 15 minutes before enjoying.
Cocoa Truffles
Cocoa Truffles
These truffles are delightful! Again, they are easy and vegan, paleo, dairy-free, gluten-free, and refined sugar free. We made these the same day as the coconut truffles above and just kept going with the chocolate dipping and dunking. Bonus, they have added protein to help keep you satisfied and limit the blood sugar spike.
We doubled the recipe below to have enough to share.
Cocoa Balls
1/2 cup almonds
1/2 cup walnuts
1 cup gluten free oat flour (you can make your own by processing some gluten free oats in a food processor or blender)
1/3 cup cocoa powder
2 tbsp coconut oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tbsp natural sweetener such as maple syrup, honey, agave syrup, or coconut sugar (the sweetness of your truffles will be up to you)
1-2 tbsp your favorite alternative milk - we used almond milk
*Optional: add some fall spices such as cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, and clove
Chocolate Dip and Drizzle (optional)
1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips - we like the Enjoy Life brand
1/2 teaspoon coconut oil
Instructions
In a food processor, pulse the nuts until they become a fine powder with a bit of texture, then blend with your cocoa, oat flour, salt, sweetener, and your choice of liquid. The mixture should be come thick and give you the ability to create balls. If it’s too runny, you can add some more oat flour, nuts, or cocoa. If it’s too crumbly and falls apart, add a bit more liquid.
Using a small cookie scoop, scoop very tightly-packed balls of cocoa mixture onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing them evenly apart. If needed, gently roll or press to shape mixture into a firm ball. Repeat until no mixture remains.
Place the balls inside of the freezer for 15-20 minutes to allow the balls to set.
You can enjoy these truffles as-is, or continue with directions to dip them in an extra chocolate layer.
Make the Chocolate Dip Layer: Use the double boiler method on the stove top. Add the Chocolate Dip Layer ingredients to your pan. Heat gently, stirring occasionally until melted and smooth.
Remove balls from the freezer. Dip the bottom of one ball into the bowl of melted chocolate, using the side of the bowl to scrape off excess. Lay back onto the baking sheet. Repeat until all balls have been coated. (If you’d prefer more chocolate on the truffles and want to skip the chocolate drizzle step, you can roll each ball in chocolate instead of just dipping the bottom.)
Use remaining melted chocolate mixture for drizzling over the top of the truffles. Using a rubber spatula, scrape melted chocolate into a zip bag, then trim a tiny corner off. Holding the bag over a coconut ball, pipe the chocolate in a zigzag pattern. Repeat for all balls.
Place baking sheet into the freezer for 10-15 minutes. Thaw for 10-15 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
Chocolate Dipping Extravaganza!
We made both recipes the same day to take advantage of the melted chocolate dipping assembly line. One of my favorite parts of the process is finding things in the cupboard to dip in chocolate once all of the truffles are made. We dipped cashews, macadamia nuts, and gluten free pretzels this year. Sprinkle with some coarse sea salt and you have another great treat!
Enjoy your holiday baking, no matter what that looks like for you. The joy is in time spent together. The sweets are an added bonus.
